'Infiltrators can't vote:' Shah backs Bihar SIR

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to get a big mandate in Bihar and that is why the Opposition is questioning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday, asserting that infiltrators had no right to vote.

- Arun Kumar

Shah was addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone along with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar - for the comprehensive development of Punaura Dham, believed to be the birth place of Sita, in Sitamarhi as a religious and tourist place of national importance at an estimated cost of ₹2882 crore. He also flagged off an Amrit Bharat train to Delhi from Sitamarhi.

"Names of infiltrators must be removed from the voters' lists. They have no right to vote. But the RJD and the Congress are opposing the special intensive revision (SIR) because the names of infiltrators are being deleted from the lists," Shah said.

"Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Prasad and Rahul Gandhi should answer who they want to save those from Bangladesh who devour jobs of the people of Bihar? Bihar people will never accept infiltrators who Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi want to use as vote bank," he added.

The home minister said that SIR was not happening for the first time. "Rahul Gandhi should know that it happened during the time of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also and the last time it was done was in 2003. Losing election after election, is Rahul Gandhi preparing an excuse for yet another loss?" he asked. Kumar said that since November 2005, when he first came to power, a lot of development work has been done in Bihar and more would be done.

"The Centre has also been extending full cooperation. It also allocated substantial funds for development work in the state in the 2024 and 2025 Union budgets," he added.